Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian defenses in the key city of Verbove, the Kiev general who led the country’s counteroffensive said.
Oleksandr Tarnavskiy told US media that the advance was still ongoing, the latest indication that Ukraine is making inroads on the southern front.
“On the left flank (near the village of Verbove) we have a breakthrough and we continue to advance,” he told CNN in an interview released Friday.
Progress had been “not as fast as expected – not like in the World War II movies,” he added, but said it was crucial “not to lose this initiative.” And well, not to lose it in practice, with actions.’
The reported breakthrough came as Kiev said senior Russian naval commanders were among dozens killed or wounded in a missile attack on Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Crimea.
Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian defenses in the key city of Verbove, according to the Ukrainian general who led the country’s counteroffensive. In photo: A Ukrainian soldier of the 62nd Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, dressed in camouflage, is seen in the trenches of the Koupyansk front line as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, September 22
General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy (seen center briefing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky) told US media that the advance was still ongoing, the latest indication that Ukraine is making inroads on the southern front.
A Ukrainian military source told the BBC that the attack on Sevastopol was carried out using Storm Shadow missiles supplied by Britain and France.
The Ukrainian military said the attack took place during “a meeting of the leadership of the Russian Navy.” Kyiv’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said the attack killed “at least nine people,” including generals, in comments to Voice of America.
“The details of the attack will be revealed as soon as possible and the result is dozens of dead and injured passengers, including senior fleet commanders,” the Ukrainian military said.
Russia has said one of its soldiers is missing after the attack.
Ukraine launched its counter-offensive in June to regain territory from Russian forces. Progress was slow and much of the territory was heavily undermined.
But Kiev has reported in recent weeks that strategic progress has been made in the Zaporizhia region. And Tarnavskiy did not accept that Ukraine’s advance would be further slowed in the coming winter months.
“The weather could be a serious obstacle during the advance, but given the way we are moving, mostly without vehicles, I don’t think it will have a major impact on the counter-offensive,” he said.
Mychailo Podolyak, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky, outlined Kiev’s position on the prospects of a long, protracted war.
“Are the Ukrainian people happy with the prospect of a long war of attrition?” he wrote on Saturday on X, formerly Twitter. ‘Absolutely not.
“We’re only following this path because there is no other way today.”
Tarnavskiy said the success of the counteroffensive depended not only on what happens at the front, but also on “destroying command centers” that are creating “a mess on the battlefield.”
The attacks on Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, improved the morale of Ukrainian troops, he added. “It helps us, but it also gives us hope for the future.”
The reported breakthrough came as Kiev said senior Russian naval commanders were among dozens killed or wounded in a missile attack on Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Crimea.
The building was hit by a rocket attack from the Ukrainian army” class=”blkBorder img-share” style=”max-width:100%” />
Damage to the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea. The building was hit by a rocket attack from the Ukrainian army
Meanwhile, a major ammunition depot in Russian-occupied Ukraine was blown up on Monday in a suspected air-launched missile attack by Kiev’s armed forces.
The massive explosion rocked Sorokyne, also known as Krasnodon, in the eastern Luhansk region, some 80 miles (130 kilometers) from the current front line.
A large smoke mushroom appeared in the sky as a huge Russian stockpile of explosives at the Yunost factory ignited in a gigantic inferno.
The factory previously produced specialist electrical components for rockets and missiles, but production capacity was moved to Russia and reports said the factory had been converted into a major ammunition depot supplying Vladimir Putin’s armed forces.
Some accounts said there were several explosions.
Videos showed children screaming at a nearby school, and parents rushed to pick them up as several schools were evacuated.
Windows of nearby homes and apartment complexes were shattered.
A local resident said: ‘My hands are shaking as I film this. There was such a strong explosion.”
The attack is believed to have been an aircraft-launched missile, and there had been warnings from the Ukrainian air force in the area that has been calm in the war so far.
The area came under Russian control in 2014 when pro-Putin forces took over large parts of Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
On Monday, a major ammunition depot in Russian-occupied Ukraine was blown up in a suspected air-launched missile attack by Kiev’s armed forces. Photos: Smoke rises from the site
Ukrainian soldiers from the 24th Brigade are seen at frontline positions south of Bakhmut as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Toretsk, Ukraine on September 22
A Ukrainian soldier from the elite drone unit packs his belongings after an attack on the front line on the outskirts of Kremmina, Ukraine, August 20
A Ukrainian drone pilot reaches for a reconnaissance drone in the Luhansk region
Zelenskiy was on his way home after addressing the United Nations and speaking in Washington with the US Congress and President Joe Biden, who promised that US tanks would soon arrive to boost Ukraine’s arsenal.
He also secured a commitment for more funding from Canada after addressing parliament in Ottawa.
The Ukrainian leader went to X on Saturday to announce that he had met Sudanese army chief and de facto ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a stopover in Ireland.
“I am grateful to Sudan for its continued support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zelensky said, at a time when Kiev is trying to counter growing Russian influence in Africa.
The two leaders discussed “common security challenges, in particular the activities of illegal armed groups financed by Russia.”
Zelensky also said that he made a brief stop in the Polish city of Lublin during the afternoon to seduce two Polish volunteers.
Western powers are “de facto” fighting against Moscow through their support for Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday, as Kiev claimed new claims on the ground.
“You can call it whatever you want, but they are fighting with us, they are fighting with us directly,” Lavrov told reporters at the United Nations.
“We call it a hybrid war, but that doesn’t change anything.”
Westerners are “fighting us de facto, using the hands and bodies of Ukrainians,” Lavrov said, pointing to the billions of dollars in Western military equipment provided to Kiev since Russia attacked last year.
He also pointed to the support of the American and British intelligence services and the presence of Western military advisors.